


Between

by PeterStark



Series: The Stag and the Fox [2]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: All the religions, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Character Death, Curses, F/M, Family Dynamics, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Hurt No Comfort, Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Persephone Goes Willingly With Hades (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Protective Hannibal Lecter, Someone Help Will Graham, We Die Like Men, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter, good doggo, read the first one first, someone help hannibal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:28:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28519374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeterStark/pseuds/PeterStark
Summary: The curse has settled on them.Masayi (Will) has only a brief moment of lucidity before it is eaten by the curse.Hanni can't find a way to break it.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Series: The Stag and the Fox [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2085435
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Between

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing. This won't make sense unless you read part one, guys.  
> If you play video games, you should see the references I put in here. (There is no escape.)

Part 1: Masayi

Masayi felt a rough tongue against his cheek. His nose was assaulted by the smell of blood and dogs breath. He blinked his eyes open and paused. The blood soaked, massive wolf above him could only be Garmr the guardian of Helheim. That meant.

Masayi slowly stood. The wolf sat back and tilted his head. Masayi had heard of how fierce Garmr could be, but he was glad his affinity for animals worked even in the underworld.

The Underworld.

He looked down at his hands. "I'm dead." It took him a moment to remember. His mother had hidden herself behind the image of a woman. The disguise had been so thorough, that even his eyes hadn't been able to see through it. She'd said she was starving and she knew Hanni would love to cook for a guest. He had before...but then she'd turned on him. Killed him.

He'd died in Hanni's arms. "I'm so sorry." He whispered. But this wasn't what should happen. Even with all her magic and power, she wasn't strong enough to kill him. It took a god of death, like Hanni, or a very powerful god to kill another god. His mother couldn't have killed him, she wasn't strong enough. Besides, a killed god was...gone, sent to nothingness where they'd been born. 

He wasn't truly dead then. Some gods were punished, sent to the underworld, hell, Helheim, whatever you wanted to call it, but permanent death meant nothingness. A permanent death was what the tiger god had gotten when he'd tried to touch Masayi.

"I'm not dead. Not fully." Masayi brushed himself off and gently rubbed Garmr's flank. "Thanks for being a good boy and not...you know...gnawing on my bones." Masayi tried to use his eyes, tried to see what was around him, there had to be other people nearby, eyes he could see with. But his power wasn't working. He looked at Garmr and he could feel everything the wolf felt and see what the wolf saw, but nothing more. He used to be able to use anyone around him, either see into their souls and minds or use their eyes like they were his own...but now he couldn't. "She cursed me...bound my powers. I really hate that woman." He sighed, then looked to Garmr. "I have...family of sorts down here. Can you help me find them? Where's Hades' palace? You friends with Cerberus, boy?" He asked, rubbing his flank.

The large wolf walked through the dark space, leading him forward.

After a few minutes, Masayi found a river. One that weaved through a tight cave. A boat sat against a dock. "Charon?"

The ferryman nodded and grunted, holding out his hand. For a gold coin, Masayi realized. To get to Hades he'd need a golden coin.

He looked about himself but had no gold, only a leaf, oddly, in his pocket. "I don't have gold."

Charon grumbled, low and disgruntled.

"Please, I have to get to Hades and Persephone. They can help me...I think. I think they can help me get to Hanni."

Charon's head tilted in recognition. He seemed to know Hanni.

Masayi looked at Charon. He couldn't see into his soul as well as he could normally see into people, he suspected that was his mother's work, but he could see enough. 

Charon was fond of Hanni, fond of his work, a servant of Hades. He liked Hanni and they may have been something like friends. He almost got the sense that the friendship was begrudging. Had Hanni used Charon's services far too often? Bugged him for rides over the river Styx. Had Hanni used Charon's services to reach Earth? 

There was a friendship there, perhaps one Masayi could exploit. "I'm his mate, we're bound. I have to get back to him. Look at my soul. I'm his as he is mine. We're bound, the same way his parents are. Please. I have nothing to pay you with...but I could use your help."

Charon looked at him and tilted his head in contemplation, his hand still outstretched, waiting for a coin.

Why hadn't Hanni buried Masayi with one? He groaned and patted his pockets. Masayi's eyes opened wide and he pulled the leaf free. "I have no gold. But I have this. Hanni gave it to me. Is this what you want?" 

Charon made a pleased sound in his throat and snatched the leaf.

It made sense. A boatmen, forever in a river boat...he wanted something of the land. Gold was of the earth, but this was different, it was more valuable because it was rarer in the underworld...and still alive.

Charon admired the leaf, then helped Masayi into the boat. When Charon touched him, the gods' eyes widened and he took a step back. He made a noise in affirmation, as if he just now realized he belonged to Hanni. Charon began to paddle with haste.

Masayi's head ached. He could feel it, his mother's magic twisting in him, turning and carving like a knife. His memories were leaking through the gaps, his power growing fainter. He...almost felt human. "Please, Charon...get me to Hades and Persephone...and Mischa..." Masayi's eyes started to flutter closed, but he didn't feel like he was falling asleep. He felt like he was...waking. "I want to see Hanni." He looked down the river and saw a beautiful woman on the far bank.

She looked like Hanni, just with bright blond hair, the same brown-red eyes. Hanni presented as a raven stag. This woman...was much like a doe, no a fawn. Hanni'd taken after his father, but this girl must've taken after Hanni's mother.

Her mouth was moving, screaming for him, but he couldn't hear her words.

"Mischa." Masayi realized. Maybe he'd get to meet Hanni's sister.

His body collapsed. He fell into the river Styx, his spirit flowed away from Helheim, ripped backwards, up toward Earth.

He forgot who he was or why he'd tried to swim deeper into hell.

He was no one.

Part 2: Hanni

Hanni spoke to every witch who worshiped Masayi's mother, but they had no spell to fix such a curse. 

Masayi was to be born into the world again, pure and mortal, over and over and over again.

His mind would be lost, along with his heart and soul.

He would be weak and frail, die just as easily as any human and suffer pain just like them.

Hanni could have his mind back, but only by corrupting Masayi. His mother had wanted Hanni to know the pain he'd caused by taking her son. So, to have Masayi back, Hanni would have to kill for him (easy), corrupt his body (also on the easier side, as Hanni could be charming and no curse could hide their claiming bond, even from a mortal), have Masayi drink his blood (not so easy, though possible with trickery), and make Masayi eat a heart freshly ripped from a corpse. That last one was difficult. Very difficult to make a man eat one of his own, especially a freshly taken heart.

It would hurt Hanni, indeed, to have to do those things. And even when he got Masayi's mind back, if he was killed again, the process would begin again....and again.

Hanni would have to spend the rest of eternity trying to free him from the curse by corrupting him a bit at a time.

Masayi wouldn't bat an eye at any of this. But a human who didn't know he was a god? A human with empathy? No. This wouldn't be easy and Hanni would have to watch his lover suffer for all eternity...perhaps the human would even hate Hanni. The witch had been clever in this punishment.

Fellow witches were no help, so Hanni turned to gods. Kali couldn't help. Nor Baba Yaga, Hecate, Isis.

No one could help him. So he buried his lover with a leaf in his pocket, hoping the leaf could earn him passage to a safe haven with Hanni's family, until the curse brought him back to life, stripping Masayi of his identity. He hoped the grumbly Charon still had some affection for him.

The Hanni went to his mother's favorite forest and waited.

He didn't have to wait long, as spring came quickly.

"My son...you are in great pain." Persephone walked forward and put her hand on his shoulder. "I see that pain when I am sent up here, from your father. Come." She pulled him into a hug.

"My Masayi, have you and father seen him? Is he okay?" Hanni asked.

"Your mate never made it down the Styx. Charon tried to bring him to us... Mischa saw it, said it was like a rope wrapped around him and dragged him back up here. He is alive or...perhaps he will be born soon."

"I can't sense him..."

"She stripped that from him. Charon said that he couldn't even tell your lover was a god until he touched him." Persephone sighed.

"Charon spoke? The bastard's never said a word to me. Rude." Hanni huffed as he considered the words. Masayi didn't even present as a god to fellow gods, Charon didn't know until he was on his boat, until he'd touched him. The curse was deep. "We have to figure out how to break this curse. If he wakes not knowing who he is...mother I can't live without him, but I couldn't...I can't hurt him."

"You would never hurt him." Persephone promised.

"Yet, how does one feed a heart to a human without hurting them?"

Persephone blinked. "That may be a question for your father...I don't share your apatite... I do wish I could meet him. To have won your heart, he must be special."

"He's everything." Hanni promised.

Persephone nodded. "I am in better standing with most gods and goddesses than you are. They do fear you, dear. I will ask around, see if anyone knows what to do. I see you are stuck here."

Hanni looked at his hands. "Witch touched me...chained me here so I could not follow my love in death. She did not want this curse broken, mother."

Persephone kissed his cheek. "We'll find a way."

"I shall walk this earth until my feet bleed and I will find him. Even if I cannot break the curse and have him be wholly mine again. I will love him as he is, until his frail mortality takes him...then I will walk again and love him again."

"I would do the same for your father." She nodded. "Stay with me for a day, Hanni. Rest in the warm spring air. You will need strength for the suffering to come."

Hanni agreed with a bob of his head and rested against his mother's side, feeling much like a child. Soon, he'd start his walk and search endlessly for his beloved. For now, he needed a moment to rest. He closed his eyes and tears gushed from them, unbidden.

Perhaps he needed a moment to grieve as well.

**Author's Note:**

> Take care.


End file.
